Spring binding-post.



D. K. KUSKIN. SPRING BINDING POST. APPLICATION FILED JULY 25. 1913.

1,165 51 9. Patented Dec. 28, 1915.

W/TNE8858: Ill/l/E/l/TOI? da If V' W K V ATTORNEY .ing post. Fig. 4 is a view I the base portions or attaching shanks.

DAVID K. KUSKIN,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN EVER READY COMPANY, A'CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SPRING BINDING-POST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 23, 1915.

Application filed. July 25, 1912. Serial No. 781,082.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that L-DAVID K. KUsKIX, citizen of the United States of America, residing in the borough of the Bronx, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Spring Binding-Posts, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof.

My invention relates to spring binding posts such as are adapted to grip a conducting wire or the like by resilient action.

Objects of my invention are simplicity of construction, inexpensiveness of manufacture, strong and effective gripping action, convenience of manipulation in use and economy of time, durability, non-liability of derangement, and other objects and advantages which will hereinafter appear.

My invention includes features of construction and combinations of parts, as will appear from the following description.

-I shall now describe the spring binding post embodying my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings and shall thereafter point out my invention in claims.

Figure 1 is a perspective of the upper portion of a dry battery and shows two spring binding posts of the present invention attached to the respective battery terminals and of correspondingly slightly modified construction as to the attaching means. Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical section of the binding post appearing at the right in Fig. 1, including a portion of the battery and showing a wire ready for insertion in the binding post. Fig. 3 is a. similar view, but showing the wire gripped by the hind similar to Fig. 2 of a slight modification in attaching the binding post to the battery electrode.

All of three modifications illustrated in the drawings operate in the same way and all are of similar construction except as to Each of these illustrated springbinding posts embodying my invention comprises a single strip of resilient sheet metal which is bent, folded and apcrtured to form the complete binding post.

The construction of binding post illustratcd at the right in Fig. 1 and in Figs. 2 and 3 will be first described. This last mentioned binding post is-adapted for attachment to the upper edge portion of the metal- 110 cas ng 1, constituting the zinc electrode tically arranged or base portion, metal strip, fold 3, the metal of each fold being in contact and the folds being slightly separated from one another, to admit snugly between them the upper edge portion of the battery casing 1. This arrangement gives a firm attachment of the binding post to the battery W-shaped attaching shank formed of two folds of the casing 1, the attachment being rendered more secure and the electrical connection 1mproved by means of solder 4. The attaching shank, made up of the folds 2 and 3,

is shown as projecting from a wire gripping portion composed of spaced wire gripping members, an outer member 5 formed by a continuation or extension of the outer thiclc ness of the outer fold 2, and an inner member6 formed by a similar continuation of an outer fold 2 and an inner of the battery. This binding post has a verthe free thickness of theinner fold 3 of the I shank. The members 5 and 6 are parallel and each member 5 and 6 is shown slightly offset from the thickness of the fold, 2 and 3, respectively, to reduce the spacing between the members 5 and 6 to only a little more than a single thickness of the metal strip forming the binding post. Each of the. wire gripping members 5 and 6 is provided with a wire receiving seat, shown as an aperture or perforation, these apertures in the two members being in alinement, as shown in the drawings (Figs. 2 and 3). The sheet metal strip forming the binding post terminates at one end in the outer gripping mcmber 5, but the other wire"gripping member 6 is joined by a right angled bend to a median portion of the strip forming a spring 7 which first continues straight horizontally from the right angled bend and then is shown as evenlv and substantially circularly curved oppositely to such bend throughout substantially tln'ee-quarters of a here again is bent sul'istantially at right angles and extends horizontally and the horizontal extension is folded back in a downward direction to form a thumb piece or actuating extension 8. From the lower ertures into alinemcnt,

side of the thumb piece 8, at a. median point thereof, the metal is bent right angularly downward, to form a second wire gripping portion 9 having only a single member and thickness of the metal, so that the thumb piece 8 is formed by a fold in the strip intermediate of the spring portion 7 and the Wire gripping portion 9 and is disposed substantially at right angles to the latter. This second gripping portion 9 forms the other end of the metal strip and is slidably received between the spaced wire gripping 'members 5 and 6 of the other wire gripping portion of the binding post. The wiregripping portion 9 is provided with a wire receiving seat, shown as an aperture therein, cooperative with the wire receiving apertures in the members 5 and 6 to grip a con ducting wire, such as the wire 10, under the tension of the spring portion 7, as appears in Fig; 3. When not gripping a wire, the wire receiving aperture in the wire gripping member 9 is held out of alinement with and above the alined Wire receiving apertures in the spaced members 5 and 6, byreasons of the resiliency of the spring portion 7 and as appears in Figs-1 and 2. To insert a wire in the binding post, it is only necessary to press down upon the thumb piece 8 sufiiciently to bring "all of the wire receiving apinsert the wire through the alined apertures and release the pressure. The tension of the spring portion 7 will cause the wire gripping portions to strongly'bite the wire and hold it with a firm grip, obviating any accidental disconnection of the wire from the binding post. To release or remove the wire from the binding post, the thumb piece 8 is pressed down until the gripupon the wire is relieved, and

the wire withdrawn. In their wire gripping positions the wire gripping portions extend below and out of line with the bowed or looped spring portion 7 permitting the free and unobstructed insertion of the wire from either side of the binding post.

The construction of spring binding post illustrated at the left in Fig. 1 is adapted to be held in place by an upright stud or to be secured on a horizontal or other flat surface by means of a screw or rivet, and is shown as held bya screw-threaded stud 11 projecting upward from the carbon element of the battery. This spring binding post has a horizontally arranged base portion 0 attaching shank 12 composed of a folded portion of the metal strip 'lorming two thicknesses of the sheet metal in contact, as shown, the shank 12 being 'icrioral'cd and screwed over the screw-threaded vertical stud 11 and tight down against the horizontal surface shown. as surrounding such stud, making a firm attachment of the binding post to the carbon electrode of the battery. Instead of screwthreading the stud 11, the base 15 or the binding post could be riveted in place, or could be held by solder, r ad three of these fastening means couldpc employed, if de sired. Comparing this binding post (shown at the left in Fig. 1) with that hereinliefore described in reference to Figs. 2 and 3 and right of Fig. 1, the base or attaching shank 1.1 of the former construction corresponds to the omission of the inner fold 3 of the latter and the bending outward at right angles and perforation of the: outer fold 2. In all other respects than in their attaching shanks, the two constructions are of identical construction and operation.

The spring binding post illustrated in Fig. 4 has a vertically arranged attaching shank 13 composed of two folded contacting thicknesses of the metal strip. The shank 13 is of substantially the same construction as the shank 12 (Fig. 1), but is vertically in-- it is shown as attached to the outside of a battery casing 15 to which it is shown as additionally connected by solder 16. Either the rivet 1% or the solder 16 could be omitted if desired. In all other respects than above noted, the construction and operation of the spring binding illustrated in'Fig. 4 is the same as those illustrated in and hereinbefore described in reference to Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in the constructions shown in the drawings and above particularly described within the principle and scope of my invention.

I claim:

1; A spring binding post comprising a continuous ribbon-like strip of sheet metal having a reversely bent middle spring portion and having cooperative first and second wiregripping portions forming opposite 1ongitudinal. continuations from opposite ends of theinterinediatc bent spring portion, the first wire-gripping portion projecting with a free end toward the second wire-gripping portion, and the secondwire-gripping portion bein composed of spaced wire-gripping- -wire-gripping portions.

2. A spring binding post comprising a continuous ribbondike strip of sheet metal havand having cooperative first and second wireing a revcrsely bent middle spring portion gripping portions forming opposite longitudinal continuations from opposite ends of the intermediate bent spring portion, ,the

rst wire-gripping portion projecting with a free end toward the second wire-gripping portion, and the second Wire-gripping portion being composed of spaced Wire-gripping members one of which projects with a free end toward the first wire-gripping portion and provides an open entrance space between such free end and the other wlre-gripping member for the entrance of the free end of the first wire-gripping portion, wire-receivlng seats being provided for each of the wiregripping portions, an attaching shank projecting from one of the wire-gripping portions and formed from a plurality of thickmetal ribbon strip folded into flat contact with each other, and a projecting thumb piece formed by a reverse fold DAVID K. KUSKIN. Witnesses WM. ASHLEY KELLY, HARRY C. LEWIS. 

